Voice
by Cerulean Pen
Summary: Wayne's daughter, Wanda, adopts a teenage girl in need of a home. Only a few days later, Finn disappears at a Disney World celebration, and Wanda's new daughter is the only connection to Finn, and his rescue...sixth chapter up!
1. Chapter 1: Delilah

_Voice_

_Summary: Wayne's daughter, Wanda, adopts a teenage girl in need of a home. Only a few days later, Finn disappears at a Disney World celebration, and Wanda's new daughter is the only connection to Finn…but when Maleficent takes her, how can the remaining Keepers rescue Finn?_

_English Adventure/Friendship Rated: T Chapters: Words: Finn W._

_Chapter 1:_

_Delilah_

_**Pairings: **__Um, a little, itsy, bitsy Finn/Amanda, with a little one-sided Finn/Charlene, and a little bit of Philby pining for Willa. _

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Kingdom Keepers, sadly._

_"Hey, Whitman!"_

_At the sound of his nickname, Finn turned around to see Maybeck approaching the front of the Frozen Marble, his black Converse rather noticeable against a lower world of brightly colored Flip Flops and cheery sandals; even Finn was wearing navy Flip Flops. "Hey Maybeck. So I guess you got Wanda's text too?" Upon receiving a nod from Maybeck, the two sixteen year old boys entered the ice cream shop, which was vacant of customers, except for the usual gathering of Keepers around a large table._

_Amanda and Jess were sitting next to each other, splitting a large mint chocolate chip sundae; Philby was drinking a strawberry milkshake that Willa had poked a straw in, so that they were both drinking; Charlene was eating a plain frozen yogurt, but was asking Wanda a lot of questions. Wayne's daughter seemed, like her father, older as more time passed, and Finn could clearly see dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. But, when he and Maybeck approached the table, Wanda stood with a wan smile, as if welcoming an aging relative that had only a few months to live. "At last, the Keepers are together again," she breathed, sitting back down. Finn sat down next to Amanda, while Maybeck sat on the other side of Jess, stealing a quick lick of her ice cream._

_"Is something wrong?" Willa asked, licking the strawberry milkshake from her lips, blushing slightly when she saw that Philby was watching her, reaching for her napkin. "In your text, all you said was to meet you here, for you had some sort of news, I presume?" Speaking with perfect grammar, of course, because Willa loved to read, just as Philby loved computers._

_"Ooh, what kind of news?" Charlene asked eagerly, with her usual cheerleader peppiness, tossing her pearly blond ponytail. Not only was she the poster child for Kingdom Keepers, but was the perfect athlete, rather smart, and had an optimistic look on the world. Wanda grinned at her._

_"Good news Charlene, rather good news, for a change," Wanda assured her; everyone was glad for some positive updates, considering they were mixed up in the middle of an Overtaker fight at Disney. She stood once more, much to the Keeper's curiosity, and walked right out the door, into the chilly evening air._

_"Wait a minute-why did she walk outside?" Maybeck was first to question this, and received a collective shrug from the table, which, in result, gave him no answer. Jess raised her eyebrows at him as if to say "how should I know?" and offered him a spoonful of mint chocolate chip. He accepted, letting the light green treat trickle down his chin a moment before wiping it off with a napkin._

_After a few moments of awkward, impatient waiting, Wanda reappeared, though she held the shop door open, as if someone was following her. Finn had a scoop of Amanda and Jess's sundae halfway in his mouth, and when he saw Wanda's "good news" he nearly swallowed the spoon, coughing as the ice cream shot down his throat. "Everyone, this is my adopted daughter, Delilah," Wanda introduced, gently pushing the sixteen year old girl forward. "She was wandering the streets outside my home, and she doesn't have any parents, so I'm taking care of her for a while."_

_There was silence. Philby nervously twisted the straw in between his fingers, but Charlene quickly stood up, bounding forward, sticking out her right hand for Delilah to shake. "Hi there, I'm Charlene!" the blond exclaimed enthusiastically, confused when Delilah cocked her head to one side, seeming to be befuddled by Charlene's action._

_"Oh, sorry, Delilah is mute," Wanda continued to explain, answering a few questions the others were about to ask, "she only speaks through writing, which is how she told me about her parents dying. Delilah doesn't exactly understand things like handshakes, right Delilah?" The girl hesitated, then gave a slight nod, wringing her hands anxiously._

_Finn stood up to get a better look at Delilah. She had long chestnut colored curls that reached her mid-back, and now shone with shampoo-commercial brilliance, though he could clearly see that they had only recently been washed. Her eyes were an interesting shade of amber, a color he had never seen in a human's irises; her face was tanned, slightly pink from newly healed sunburns, hands and cheeks chapped from wind. Delilah wore a yellow sweater and a denim skirt, that had to be new, since she had been on the streets beforehand. All in all, Delilah seemed rather pretty to Finn, but he was more concerned about Wanda's decision to adopt her. "But why, Wanda?"_

_She seemed rather surprised by this question, and Finn was a little shocked he had asked it. "Why not? Finn, she was alone, and she couldn't talk; I couldn't just let her continue sleeping on the streets! Delilah has actually lived with me for almost a week now, but she was sick, and I had to wait until tonight to bring her in." Wanda took a deep breath, massaging her temples like Finn's mother did when she had a headache. "I've already spoke to Wayne, who approves of my decision-you know Wayne wouldn't turn down anyone in need of help," she added coolly._

_"So, Wayne's cool with this?" Maybeck asked incredulously, his eyes still locked on Delilah's shimmering amber ones. She still seemed nervous to be meeting some many people at once, and scrutinized each of them, as if to preserve every detail of their expressions, hair, their clothes in her memory. _

_"Yes Terry," Wanda teased, "my father is definitely cool with this. In fact, he wants the seven of you to show Delilah around the Parks, and introduce her to the Kingdom Keeper world tomorrow. I know I'm asking a lot, with the Overtakers and everything, but you already have to be there for the Autumn Party that evening, so I just wanted Delilah to see-"_

_"No problem Wanda, we'll show Delilah around," Philby interrupted politely, smiling warmly at Delilah; she gave him a sad little twitch of the lips, which had to be the beginnings of a smile. "Right, guys?" he added firmly, shooting Maybeck a glare that obviously said "say yes to the orphan, god dammit!" When met with a chorus of "of course!" and "you bet!" he had a satisfactory expression. _

_Wanda looked relieved. "That's absolutely fantastic kids. I just want the best for Delilah, since the government doesn't know about this yet…I'm already in hot water since I was in jail, and I have no legal custody over Delilah. But, I just couldn't let her wander the streets, oh…" Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she dabbed with her sleeves, taking a deep breath before hugging Delilah. "Well, the two of us will see you seven tomorrow, at nine, in Epcot, all right?"_

_"Of course," Jess answered calmly, having remained quiet during most of the conversation; she felt a little out of place, since Finn and the others had known Wanda longer then her. "We'll be there to show Delilah around, and Amanda and I will be at the Autumn Party for the DHI display. Miss Nash won't be ecstatic about that…" A slightly dreamy, bemused smile crossed her face, shooting Amanda a mischievous glance. "But we'll make do."_

_"I think Jeannie will cover for us," Amanda spoke, scraping the bottom of her ice cream bowl and slurping the mint chocolate chip soup from her plastic spoon, "but we'll be there, I promise." _

_Wanda smiled at them for the last time, taking Delilah's hand, leading her towards the door once more. "See everyone tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder, and Delilah stopped in her tracks, turning to the table, seeming to be concentrating hard on something. Finally, her face cleared, and she lifted her arm, waving at the others, smiling for real this time. Wanda praised her, and her sweet voice could be heard from down the street as they walked out of the Frozen Marble._

_"How sweet of Wanda to take Delilah in!" Charlene gushed, spooning the last of her frozen yogurt into her mouth. "I can't wait to get to know her better, she seems so sweet, even if she can't speak! And I'm really excited for the Autumn Party at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow!"_

_Willa, Amanda, and Jess nodded in agreement, but Finn, Philby, and Maybeck looked like they had just been given torture sentences. The Autumn Party was a little more formal then other Disney World celebrations, which meant the boys had to wear two-piece suits, while the girls wore church dresses. The worst part was, each female had to have a male escort: Amanda had promised to walk with Finn, Philby claimed Willa, Maybeck begrudgingly agreed with Charlene, and Jez's boyfriend, Rob, was going to walk with her._

_Finn's short's pocket vibrated, and he pulled his cell phone out, checking the new text message, groaning when he saw his mother's all capital letter texting. "Sorry guys, but my mom wants me home now," he announced, "so, does everyone have transportation for tomorrow? My mom is cool with the Keepers stuff, so she can drive anyone that needs it."_

_"Can she pick us up?" Amanda asked, picking up her empty ice cream bowl. After making sure no one was looking, she pointed her hands towards the Styrofoam dish, and using her Fairlie powers to levitate it to the trash can in the corner, smiling sheepishly. Finn nodded, and the others nodded to confirm that they had a way to get to Epcot. He waved, then jogged out of the Frozen Marble, hearing the little bell ding as his friends exited after him, their mingled chatter soft and comforting in the fading evening light._

_"Hey, Finn!" Being called by his real name, he turned around, seeing Amanda running towards him, Jess waiting by a stop sign. Finn immediately felt a dreamy, floating sensation envelope him; no DHI mishap, but just his crush on Amanda, that seemed to overtake him, no matter when he saw her. "Hey, I just wanted to say…it was nice to see you again tonight. It doesn't feel like we see each other a lot anymore, what with all the Overtaker stuff and school going on."_

_Finn swallowed the lump in his throat to answer, driving the tip of his Flip Flop into the concrete sidewalk. "It-it was really nice to see you too," he answered, her exotic eyes illuminated by the orange glow the setting sun gave off. Without giving it a second thought, Finn leaned forward, gently kissing Amanda on the lips, his heartbeat suddenly accelerating, as if he had been struck by lightning. After they pulled away, he waited. She smirked. "Just checking to see if you'll past out again."_

_"Nah, I'm good," Amanda whispered, "but that was really…nice." She then squeezed his hand, which she had taken during the kiss, and jogged up the street towards Jess, who immediately began to rant loudly about the kiss she had seen. Finn chuckled to himself, starting back up the street towards his house-it wasn't too far of a walk._

_Once home, Finn tiptoed inside, considering he didn't want to aggravate his father in any way: unlike his mother, his father was not supportive of Finn's Kingdom Keeper adventures. Even his eleven year old sister, Sherri, got excited whenever someone mentioned that she had a famous older brother, but his father simply would not put up with it. _

_Finn walked into the living room, relieved to find that his father was working late, and his mother was relaxed, watching "E.T." with Sherri on ABC Family, both of them sobbing as Elliot cried over E.T.'s body. Finn had to admit, he got teary-eyed at this scene too (who didn't?) but he wasn't absolutely bawling like his mother and sister were. "Hey guys," he spoke, only to be shushed by the two, and Finn had no choice but to sit down and watch the movie until the ending with them._

_Finally, after they were all misty-eyed from Elliot, Mike, and Gertie's farewell to E.T., Finn shot his mother a pleading look, which was their little signal that they needed to talk about Disney stuff. "Sherri, would you mind taking your bath now? Your brother and I need to discuss something?" The brunette hesitated, but scurried from the living room, followed by the sound of running water._

_"Thanks Mom, I need to talk to you about something," Finn started, as they watched the credits roll onscreen, "you remember Wayne's daughter, Wanda, right? Who was put in jail?" When his mother nodded understandingly, Finn continued, pulling at a loose seam in the sofa. "Well, Wanda adopted an orphan on the streets, who is sixteen, like us, and her name is Delilah. Delilah's mute, which is okay, I guess, I'm not against anybody with a disability, but she just seems…strange. Wanda wants us to show her around the park tomorrow, before the Autumn Party."_

_"Well honey, I think it's unbelievably kind of Wanda to take in Delilah," his mother started, and Finn stopped himself from rolling his eyes at his mother's love for a sappy little act of generosity. "But, if you think this girl is strange, then why don't you find out a little more about her? Even if she can't speak, I'm sure she can write. Are you saying you think she might have something to do with the Parks?"_

_"Well, how many orphans do you randomly rescue from the streets?" Finn admitted, watching the opening for "The Princess and the Frog" which was showing next on ABC family-it was a favorite of the Whitman family, especially Sherri. "Really, I don't think Wanda would just take Delilah off of the streets, unless she knew something about the Overtakers, or maybe had a special ability." Finn yawned, wanting nothing more then a nice night of sleep without any Overtakers or crossing over. "But, who knows, Delilah might really be an orphan that Wanda pulled from the alley. I'm going to get ready for bed after her royal highness gets out of the tub, okay?"_

_"Of course darling," Mrs. Whitman answered, changing the channel to "Cake Boss", her favorite cooking show, "and if something happens, you'll tell me first, right? When you didn't tell me first about all of your Kingdom Keeper activities, you and your friends went through a lot. I'm here to help, you know that Finn, don't you?"_

_"Yeah Mom, I do," Finn quickly answered, wondering why she getting so preachy on him, and edged towards the hallway, catching sight of the bags under her eyes that resembled Wanda's. Were they contagious between adults? "Oh, by the way, can you drive me, Amanda, and Jess to Epcot tomorrow?" She nodded, and he smiled gratefully, heading for his bedroom, trying not to eye the suit that hung in his open closet._

_Finn sank to the mattress, soaking up some relaxation, thinking about tomorrow._

_**What do you guys think? A little slow for my first chapter, but things will get better, I promise! I had to bring back Wanda, because I really liked her, and now that I've finished the fourth book (little "yay me" signs appear around me) I love her more. I had to incorporate "E.T." in here after seeing it yesterday, and everything that Mrs. Whitman was watching. All right, enjoy, and leave a review! Please? =)**_


	2. Chapter 2: BrokenUp Battles

Chapter 2:

Broken-Up Battles

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the positive feedback! In this chapter, we reencounter a familiar villain (Greg Luowski) and learn of something very…strange? And, I will explain why Charlene was so peppy in the next chapter, there's a reason. =) All right, read, review, and enjoy!**

Delilah opened her eyes in the dark, automatically reaching for her locket, holding her breath as she listened to the shuffling in the hallway. She had only been living with this Wanda for a week, but she was learning about the world more and more everyday; for instance, Delilah had smiled for the first time, she had ridden in a car, she was sleeping in a bed now. Life on the streets offered only scraps, asphalt, ash, alleyways, rapists, criminals, and hobos. Not speaking had never been a terrible disadvantage to her, Delilah just had to know where it was safe to sleep, and which streets to avoid.

She slipped out of bed, shivering in the center of the guest room, despite the fact she was wearing warm flannel pajamas, which felt foreign against her skin. Delilah tiptoed to her door, cracking it ever so slightly, letting yellow slivers of hall light splash over her bare feet. Wanda's voice could be heard from the living room, along with the kind man who she was told to refer to as "grandfather." But, she was not ignorant, and soon learned that his name was Wayne.

Delilah lay on her stomach now, straining to hear their soft whispers: Wanda's were practically hysterical, while Wayne's were strained, yet comforting. She pressed her fingertips into the carpet, retrieving Wayne's image from her memory-the soft white hair, each fleck of ice in his piercing blue eyes, every single wrinkle in his warm face. She knew an elderly man when she saw one, and knew that Wayne was aging faster now, fast approaching a certain age where he couldn't keep things running smoothly anymore.

A tickle in her throat threatened to give away her position, so Delilah swallowed, thinking of her first few days with Wanda, which were hidden amongst the shadows in her mind. Only a few silhouettes were visible: laying in the dark, a cool hand on her forehead, concerned whispers and sour liquid running down her throat. At least no one had dared to finger her precious locket.

Delilah heard Wanda advancing back down the hallway, and dashed back to bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, holding her breath as she waited for her new guardian to walk by her door. The moment passed, so Delilah sat up, bowing her head, heart thumping in her chest. "Wayne, I care about you, please…"

"The Overtakers are still at large Wanda, I cannot just sit and watch them harm those children," came Wayne's voice, a little thinner then before; Delilah could identify the tone, rhythm, and sound of each person's voice. "Delilah will be helpful, you know she will, you told me yourself that she has memorized the Keepers and developed a connection. My health will never interfere with their safety, Disney World's condition, or Delilah."

"Oh, Wayne…" Delilah swallowed, because Wanda was talking in the same kind of voice she heard outside of hospitals and nursing homes and homes that were darkly lit. "At least let me take care of you tomorrow. Finn and the others are very well aware of Disney world, they can help Delilah understand everything about Keepers and Overtakers. You're forgetting that her disability is a gift in disguise."

"Yes Wanda, I fully understand. Now, it is time for you to return to bed, there is much we must do tomorrow. Good night, my daughter."

Delilah dashed back to bed once more, but stayed this time, burying her head into her pillow, listening as Wanda shuffled back through the hallway, sniffling, and memorized every sound that hit her ears. Ticking clocks, the distant whine of Orlando traffic, Wayne's slightly wheezy breathing from the living room, her own heart hammering against her ribcage.

She closed her eyes. At least she didn't have to worry about being dragged into an alley and killed.

:::::

"Thanks for the lift Mom, the three of us can walk down to Epcot from here," Finn said to his mother as he slid out of the passenger seat, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. The crinkle of plastic made him remember the suit that was shoved in there, thinking about being escorted to the Autumn Party by Amanda.

"Are you sure? I can still drive you," she offered once more, only for Finn to shake his head, "well, all right, but I'll be outside of Epcot at nine, right after the Autumn Party, okay?" Finn nodded, smiling at her reassuring, and Mrs. Whitman drove down the road from Mrs. Nash's home.

Finn didn't even have to knock on the door, because Amanda and Jess were coming down the stairs anyway, carrying their book bags, their dresses probably stuffed inside, just like his suit. Amanda threw open the door breathlessly, greeting him with a quick, wraparound hug, gaining only a comical gag from Jess. He noticed that she had dyed her hair for the occasion; this month, it was an intriguing shade of orangish-red, that reminded him of the changing leaves on the trees. "Hey Finn, glad to see you-again," Amanda added, as they started down the sidewalk, having only a ten minute walk ahead of them.

"Good to see you too," he replied, catching sight of Jess, who was pretending to pout, hiding a smile, "oh, right, and you too, girl who follows Amanda around." All three of them laughed, and they rounded a corner. Finn crashed right into someone, landing backwards on his backpack like a beetle trapped on its back. "Oh, sorry, I wasn't-"

Greg Luowski loomed before them, roughly the size of a kitchen appliance, his strikingly green eyes an obvious sign of being under Maleficent's spell. Finn could only wonder, in a panic, why he had left the Disney Power Plant to come after them-unless they were unwanted by the park. "Well, are we all off to see the wizard?" he taunted, smirking when Jess's face turned bright red from anger and her fists clenched.

Finn stepped in front of the girls to protect them, and took a deep breath, preparing himself in case he had to go _all clear _in defense. Luowski looked pretty evil with those green eyes, but otherwise, his complexion had not changed, if not a few extra pounds of muscles. "We don't want to fight you Luowski, we're just going to attend the Autumn Party, that's all." It wasn't a very convincing lie, considering the celebration started at seven, and it was only eight-forty-five in the morning.

"Sure you don't want to fight Whitless, you and your little geeky friends are saving that for the Overtakers," Luowski snarled in a frighteningly deep and ominous voice, "Maleficent doesn't take breaks of holidays." He then held up his fists, sizing them up as if they were two Christmas hams that he was going to serve. "But, no one said I couldn't prepare you."

As Luowski's fist swung forward, Finn imagined the dark, releasing all of his fears, until he saw the tiny light coming towards him, like in "The Polar Express." He felt a tingling sensation in his fingers and toes, and when Luowski took his punch, he fell forward. But, apparently, Maleficent had trained him for such situation, because Luowski turned around before Finn could keep himself in DHI form, and Finn cringed when he felt about half of the pain from his blow.

"Hey, go tell your little fairy queen that she's nothing against us!" Jess screamed at Luowski, hating Maleficent more then anyone else since she had kept Jess prisoner. Her foot came in contact with his head as if it were nothing more then a soccer ball, and a loud, spine-tingling crack could be heard. Luowski climbed to his feet anyway, though rocking slightly.

"You'll be sorry," he whispered deeply, taking a few steps backwards before jogging down the sidewalk, away from them, his figure quickly disappearing amongst the scattered leaves. Amanda lent her hand to Finn, pulling him to his feet, as he rubbed at the wound throbbing on the back of his head.

"God, I hate that guy!" he groaned throatily, shaking his fist out of pure abhorrence towards the direction Luowski had sprinted towards. Jess was still seething, and Amanda's exotic eyes were squinted at the new morning sunlight, lips pressed tightly together. Finn picked his backpack up, slinging it over his shoulder, heading towards Epcot with more want to discover Maleficent.

When they finally reached the gates of Epcot, the first person Finn saw was Philby, his backpack stuffed with his formal attire and pieces of mechanical equipment. Willa was not far from him, her dark hair pulled into two braids, her own pack carrying at least two books. It always occurred to him how they were the geeks of their group, and went together nearly perfectly. "Hey guys," he murmured begrudgingly.

"The Autumn Party got ya down?" Philby asked, once again highlighting the fact that none of the boys wanted to take part in the formal celebration. Maybeck and Charlene met up with their group, wearing backpacks as well, and Charlene looking rather…un-peppy. When she unleashed a yawn, all eyes fell on her. "Uh, who are you, and what have you down with cheerleader Charlene?"

"I had a crazy energy drink last night before I came to the Frozen Marble, and now that I'm off my energy high, I feel hung-over," Charlene explained, her only sympathy a laugh smothered by a cough from Maybeck. It was still hard to believe that he would be escorting her tonight for the Autumn Party. She ran a hand through her blond hair, which hung straight instead of being pulled back into a ponytail.

"Well, now that we're all here, we just have to find Wanda," Amanda spoke, redirecting everyone's gaze to the front gates of Epcot, which were clogged from the traffic of early-risers. "She should have Delilah with her, so we can show her around today. Hopefully, Delilah will have some form of communication with her."

They advanced towards the gates, standing with the crowd, trying to blend in as a bunch of teenage tourists with backpacks. It was hard, considering there was always fans of their DHIs among a Disney Park crowd, so Philby, who always seemed to plan ahead, passed out large sunglasses.

Finally, people were moving through the lines, showing their tickets and having their bags checked. A bored looking college student, with blue highlights, a black T-shirt, and a nametag that read "Paige", looked over their Golden Passes, raised an eyebrow, then waved them past. Maybeck suggested a breakfast snack, which basically consisted of ice cream, so they swung by a snack stand, eating while they waited.

"Finn!"

Wiping the ice cream from his mouth, he turned, seeing one of his old friends from middle school advancing towards him-Sam. Gifted with healthy blond curls and high athletic skills, Sam and Finn had met in P.E. class, when Sam had saved Finn in a rather rough game of dodge ball. It had been forever since Finn had seen Sam, since they went to different high schools, so he exchanged a quick fist bump. "Hey man, glad to see you," Finn greeted quickly, his eyes still scanning the crowd for Wanda and Delilah.

"You too, bro," Sam answered, looking around Finn's head, observing the six other Keepers that stood behind him. "Glad to see you still remember the little people after becoming bigger then Mickey Mouse. Look's like you're busy with Keeper stuff, so I'll leave you to save the world. Later, bro!" Sam flashed him a smile before disappearing into the crowd.

There was silence. Finally, Charlene snorted, and nudged Willa's arm, bringing a blush into the dark-haired girl's cheeks. "Okay Willa, Sam is gone, you can stop drooling now," she joked, and Willa turned absolutely crimson when everyone else laughed, except for Philby, who was also red in the face.

"Hold on guys, quit the Sam-drama, there they are!" Finn cut in, waving Wanda and Delilah over to their group. The teenager managed a shy grin, wearing a backpack as well, but Wanda seemed to be tired and worried about something. Before Finn could say anything, Wanda shushed him.

"I cannot stay long, Wayne and I have some…business to take care of, we can't attend the Autumn Party tonight," she announced, earning sad expressions from the others, "I need you seven to give Delilah the grand tour. She's got a notebook with her, and she can read and write very fast, so you have a way of communication." Wanda gave Delilah a quick hug, and smiled wearily at the rest of them. "I wish you luck tonight."

"But-" Amanda tried to ask what was going on, but Wanda was already retreating back into the river of people weaving through the streets. She sighed and looked over at Delilah, who was scribbling something on the page of a silver notebook, fast as Jess after a future-telling dream. Delilah showed the note to Finn, who read it aloud.

_We're all in danger, all the time. Wayne isn't safe, I'm not safe, none of us are safe-especially you Finn._

**And so the plot thickens! *Dramatic music* There's bound to be about a million mistakes, because I'm writing late, and I'm so tired, I need a crazy sports-drink! Oh, and Paige is based off my best friend, and Sam is based off my secret crush (picture me when Willa was drooling.) All right, I worked really hard on this chapter (I rewrote the beginning an even seven times) and I want your reviews! =)**


	3. Chapter 3: Soarin' Into Danger

_Chapter 3:_

_Soarin' Into Danger_

_**Yay! I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter, and wished me luck with Sam (yes Hannah, that is what he looks and acts like.) This story is fun to write, and capturing Delilah's views from her thoughts and actions instead of dialogue is kind of fun. Promise you right now that you won't kill me for what I say is happening to Wayne! *Grabs shovel for defense* Read, review, and enjoy!**_

_Finn's eyes widened at Delilah's scrawled statement, his heart thumping wildly in his chest at the thought of everyone he cared about in danger, secretly worrying why Delilah shone the spotlight on him. "Wayne's in danger?" he asked, trying to ignore the crack in his voice that Maybeck snorted at, even though it was clear he was worried as well. Delilah's eyes began to water, and she tried to look away, but Finn cupped her chin, tilting her face towards his. "Delilah, I want you to answer me: is Wayne in danger?"_

_With a nervous swallow, Delilah began to write in her notebook again, pen a blur in her right hand, seemingly oblivious to the people that bumped into her arms. The bystanders chattering or checking maps didn't seem to recognize them, a stroke of good luck: they needed time to discuss this. Delilah really didn't want Finn to worry: just from the sound of his voice, and how he acted around Wanda told her everything that Wayne meant to him. She cared equally about Wayne, especially since he knew about her connections, her special ways. Finn, I don't want you to worry about him, Wanda is just looking after him for today. He's getting old, Finn. I know Wayne is strong, I can see it, feel it in his voice, but he's aging. I love him too Finn, but we've got bigger problems, don't we?_

As Finn read her paragraph, all he could think about was Delilah, and her powers, and her writing, and what her real voice could sound like. Philby, Willa, and Amanda were hovering over his shoulder, reading whatever Delilah wrote and whispering it to Maybeck, Charlene, and Jess. "Delilah, yes we have bigger problems, but tell me right now what is going on with Wayne. And what do you mean, feel it in his voice?"

_Finn, there is no need to be so anxious. Wayne just had a little cough last night, and Wanda was overreacting by making him stay in hiding with her at a rented apartment. I don't know every detail, but Wanda was…crying in the car ride here, and Wanda does not cry. I have ways with voices Finn, they lead to people's souls, their personalities, the very way they live. Maybe it's why I can't talk._

Finn absorbed the knowledge like a sponge, and found that the "knowledge" began to leak from his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to wipe them away. Amanda gently touched his arm, but didn't advance into another display of close affection, like a hug or arm wraparound. "So, you're telling me that Wayne is…reaching a certain age?" he asked slowly, still lingering slightly on the subject that Delilah could "read" people's voices. Delilah hesitated, then gave an almost imperceptible nod towards him.

"Ach! Save the pity party for later, OT alert!" Maybeck cut in, whispering this fiercely and gesturing slightly at the tall, white-skinned figure that was sweeping through the crowds, ignoring her yammering crowds of fans. "Evil Queen! Split up!" Finn was a little shocked (and, admittedly, impressed) by Maybeck's leadership, and followed Amanda and Jess as they started for Mexico. Willa and Philby sprinted towards France; Maybeck grabbed Delilah's arm, dragging her towards Morocco, Charlene on their heels.

"Do you think she knows we're here?" Finn gasped between breaths as they sped through the crowds, grabbing his sunglasses as they slid off of his nose. "I mean, Delilah was hinting that we were all in danger, but why is she coming to us now? Is it about Wayne?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Jess remarked, not out of breath at all, her reddish hair flying out in a curtain behind her. "I guess that's why she's here, or maybe she wants to get to a certain head OT, who's currently running amuck like an escaped prisoner, and is trying to sabotage us. But, you know, just a thought."

They continued to maneuver through the crowd, silenced after Jess's suggestion of what could've happened, and finally Amanda turned to her with a quizzical expression. "Amuck?" This eased up some of the tension, and they stopped to catch their breath, glancing around nervously in case the Evil Queen tried to sneak up on them. 

Finn drew a deep breath, hoping to clear his jumbled thoughts, and pulled his cell phone from his backpack pocket, quickly sending a group text to the others. **All clear for now, meet us at Soarin' so we can discuss this. **Sliding his phone back into his backpack, Finn gestured for Amanda and Jess to follow him, the three of them starting wearily towards Soarin'.

Maybeck opened up his cell phone after it beeped, with Charlene reading the text over his shoulder; Delilah remained enthralled by the gloriously vast structures that loomed above them. Some strangers smiled at her, a few with the idea that she had a mental problem, but Delilah took no notice, committing every single attribute of the pavilion to memory. "Yo, Delilah! We're heading back to another ride, okay?" Maybeck called to Delilah, who was beginning to wander off. They started towards Soarin', and Charlene smiled at Delilah's wide eyes and captivated expression.

Willa turned to see if the Evil Queen was still following them, and missed a crucial "Watch your step!" sign that marked a stone curb. She fell forward, only for Philby to grab her arms, preventing Willa from falling on her face, which was quite red now. "Uhh…thanks," she uttered, and Philby almost missed the sound of his phone beeping, considering his ears were ringing from the sound of Willa's voice. "We're heading for Soarin'," he announced, and, keeping a rather lengthy, nervous distance apart, they advanced towards the attraction.

At the sound of their arrival, Finn craned his neck to see Philby and Willa jogging in their direction, both looking quite red in the face. He raised his eyebrow as if to question this, but got a threatening glare from Philby in return, which told him to shut his mouth. "Okay, Jess thinks that if the Evil Queen is around here, she's trying to locate a certain Overtaker…running amuck," he added, just to taunt Jess, who only smirked good-naturedly.

"Hey, are you kids in line?" a gruff-voiced Cast Member asked, and Finn, desperately wanting to keep their disguises intact, nodded jerkily, herding the other towards the line. Maybeck looked intensely at Finn, but he kept his head low, pointing his thumb at the crowd of young girls behind them, the main source of their fans. One of them, a slim redhead with a pink, glittery top, whispered something to her brunette friend, both of them staring at the Keepers.

"You want another fan attack?" Finn asked sarcastically, gently pulling Delilah forward, noticing that she had one hand over the dingy, silver locket she had been wearing last night. "Don't give me the look Willa, I know you and Jess aren't ecstatic about this ride, but we can't cut out of line now, we're up next. At least we'll have a little fun before we get back to chasing evil Overtakers."

Willa grimaced in defeat, remembering she and Jess took a whirl on Soarin' while it was being tested, and were nearly discovered. She tried to convince herself that nothing would go wrong, that she would enjoy it as much as she did before she got mixed up in the DHI madness. Jess shot her a sympathetic smile, which Willa quickly returned, as they were loaded into the hang-glider style seating.

When Finn turned his head around to view the back row, he was shocked to find that no one else was in the ride; just the eight of them. He swallowed, clutching the safety bar, stealing a glance at Delilah, who's wide eyes were scrutinizing the screen, as if the answer to their observation was written up there. The ride jerked forward, towards the screening room, and Finn realized that there was no turning back now.

The moment they were faced with a Californian scene, Finn knew that something was going wrong with the ride. Their hang-glider was diving forwards and upwards faster then it should have, and he gripped the shoulder harness, his breath coming out in short bursts. Charlene let out a scream as they plunged forward deeply, like an Olympic diver making their final jump. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn swore he saw Willa take Philby's hand, but it might've just been the ride jerking wildly.

"Finn!" Amanda uttered through clenched teeth, letting loose a shriek when they were shaken back and forth like a Christmas gift box. "This has Overtakers written all over it!" The scene changed to the ocean view, and instead of the usual light mist, they were suddenly drenched by bath tub-fulls of freezing salt water. Finn's right hand was taken by Delilah, while his left was being clutched by Amanda's.

"I know it is!" Finn sputtered, wincing as salt reached his eyes, forcing them shut, which made the jiggling sensation worse, his insides bouncing like Jell-O. "We've got to stop the ride before they do something worse!" he shouted at the top of his lungs so they could all hear him. The only reply Finn got was a shrill "I told you so!" from Willa, abbreviated by water-choked gasps.

Another clue was soon produced: why were the scenes playing in random order? Finn remembered the snow scene to be at the beginning, and when they were suddenly plunged into an icy drift of snow, he spit ice crystals from his mouth and realized that the Overtakers were definitely trying to hack them. A hot air balloon flew towards them, but seemed to jump at the last minute, although Finn heard Maybeck swear loudly.

There was a gut-wrenching snap from above, and the hang-glider teetered dangerously, sliding to the point where Finn was nearly in Amanda's lap from the direction. Every single one of them screamed, except for Delilah, who could stare breathlessly at the screen in terror, digging her fingernails into Finn's palm. The ride didn't let up; they sped towards the Golden Gate Bridge, which looked all too real, and Finn didn't even try to suppress his scream of pain as something sharp sliced into his left leg. There was a similar reaction from the others.

His head spinning and eyes unable to focus on one point, Finn reminded himself that every ride like this truly had a floor, that was masked in the darkness. Snaking his hand from Delilah's death grip, he attempted to push his way out of the shoulder harness, although the wound given by the bridge stung angrily. They dived towards a golf course, and Finn heard Philby swear (a rare occasion) as he ducked a flying golf ball.

"What are you doing, Finn?" Amanda yelled over the sound of people cheering in the stands of the golf course, tears from the wind fogging her vision. Finn was still attempting to slide out of the shoulder harness, but was failing, the safety lock keeping him stuck. Delilah grabbed his arm to prevent him from getting out, but was forced to let go when they were soaked yet again, this time by a river full of people river-rafting. "Stop, Finn!"

As Finn suddenly slipped from the seat, he realized that his theory about the floor being close was wrong; when he began to fall forward, his feet brushed against nothing, and he clutched the edge of the seat, panting with panic. With his back to the screen, Finn wasn't aware of what was coming next, and was shocked when something hard hit his shoulder blade-a horse hoof. The room smelled like dirt and leather, but that was not Finn's focus, he was more interested in surviving.

Delilah's hand met his, pulling him back upwards, but with little effect, for they dove forward so violently, she found him slipping from the angle they were turned at. Another loud snap, followed by a groan from the machine, was an obvious sign that the ride was not built for this kind of strain, and was going to eventually crash. Finn kicked at air to propel himself forward, using Delilah's grip like a climbing rope.

Finally, Finn reached the safety of his seat, clinging to the shoulder harness for dear life, the hang-glider rattling and multiple wires cracking. Finn could feel fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins, his tongue filling up his mouth, preventing him from a healthy intake of oxygen. This was harsh, even for the Overtakers; would they really try to kill them? 

"Finn, the cliffs!"

With a terrified, ragged gasp, Finn snapped his head around, viewing the jagged, rocky cliffs that were sure to snap their bones to pieces if they got too close. Screams from his friends echoed in his mind, as Finn took Amanda's hand, Delilah's still in his other, and mentally screamed a prayer that he had learned at church. _Dear Lord, our savior, please-_

His prayer was cut off by the sound of plastic snapping, fire crackling, wires whipping through the air, rocks breaking, and shrieks that reached new volumes of pain that made his ear drums shudder. Finn felt countless rocks pelt his back, dig into his shoulder blades, pierce his forearms, but he was in one piece. The lights flickered, bringing a few glimmers of light to the wreckage, looking up at the remnants of their hang-glider.

Only faintly aware of the Cast Members and park guests rushing to their rescue, Finn felt his eyes begin to close, only feeling Delilah's grip going looser, and a high-pitched scream of, "oh my God, he's not breathing!" 

**And scene! Wow, I don't think I've ever written a scene like this, but it was so much fun- reminds of Finn and Philby at the Test Track. So, Delilah knows Wayne is danger, they spotted the Evil Queen, and someone tried to kill them on Soarin'! What could happen next? Review to find out! =D!**


	4. Chapter 4: Heartbeat

Chapter 4:

Heartbeat

**My birthday is on Saturday! *Blows little noisemaker, and confetti falls from the ceiling* Yay! Okay, so here we go with the aftermath of the Soarin' accident, and in this chapter, we find some friendship, romance, realizations, and maybe even a few laughs. Dude, I sound like I'm trying to write a trailer for a movie or something. Okay, ignore my ranting, and review-for my birthday, please?**

Ow.

With hazy vision, Willa kicked at the sheet of plastic that once belonged to the hang-glider off of her chest, trying to rub the debris from her eyes. From what she could gather, she was hanging from her safety seat belt at a ninety degree angle, and was, miraculously, in one piece. She felt a little claustrophobic from being confined in her seat, so Willa tried harder to undo the harness, eventually sliding out onto the floor, landing clumsily on her knees. Ow again.

"Oh my God, he's not breathing!" Willa heard Amanda yell this in the shrillest voice imaginable, probably from panic, and she scrambled to stand upright, glancing around at the dark floor of Soarin'. She could see Charlene and Philby trying to pull Jess out of her seat, Maybeck standing over Amanda, and Delilah clutching Finn's hand for dear life.

By now, the Cast Members had discovered what had happened, and were flooding the area; Lucinda Queen, in charge of ride malfunctions, was first to arrive at the scene, assisting Charlene in helping Jess from the wreckage. Willa found someone's arms around her, their panting breaths against her ear, their soft hair brushing her skin. "Thank God, you're okay," Philby murmured into Willa's shoulder, embracing her without really thinking about it.

"I'm fine," Willa quickly insisted, pulling away from the hug before she truthfully wanted to, standing only a few inches apart from him. "What happened? Who's not breathing?"

Philby looked rather grim, avoiding glancing over to where Amanda was crouched, an obvious sign as to what the emergency was. "Well, Amanda had trouble finding Finn's pulse-I'm sure it's just a bit faint, nothing to worry about." His expression gave himself away, and Willa raised an eyebrow at him, both highlighting the same thing: he was a terrible liar. "We'll go check on him."

They made their way over to the area of destruction, only for Lucinda Queen to hold her hands out like a traffic cop, earning a questioning look from Maybeck. "You'll have to hang on a second kids, we have to take Mister Lawrence and the young lady to the park's infirmary. If we're lucky, we can get everyone in shape for the celebration tonight-may I have contact for authorities?"

It took Willa a moment to process just who Lawrence was, until she remembered that it was Finn's first name, and she frantically switched her gaze towards Philby. "Well, we don't need to contact the authorities, we, um, have a person to report any injuries to…we're willing to pay any bills for the health care." In her head though, Willa was silently slapping herself for coming up with such a stupid excuse, and came to terms that she was just as bad a liar as Philby.

Lucinda glared at them icily for a moment, with the most prominent "I-don't-believe-you-stupid-hormonal-teenagers" look ever, but her face cleared and she smiled forcibly. "Well, all right then, since you are the Kingdom Keepers; I will ask you and your friends to wait outside of the infirmary while we tend to Mister Whitman and the young lady. May I have her name?"

"Delilah DeAngelo," Willa blurted before she could think about it, nearly clamping a hand over her mouth because of how sudden her exclamation was. "I mean…yes, her name is Delilah, she's my younger sister, she's a mute." She had never lied this much in her life, not even to her mother about Kingdom Keepers situations, and wasn't getting any better.

"Fine, you and your friends will follow us," Lucinda replied in a nearly deadpan voice, strolling over to where two Cast Members were loading Finn and Delilah into gurneys. Tourists took pictures of the Kingdom Keepers and demolished Soarin' rides; children wailed at the sight, while teenage fans in Justin Bieber T-shirts tried to mob around them.

Maybeck pushed his way out of the hoard of angry fans, pulling Jess along with him, glancing over his shoulder for Willa, Philby, and Charlene. Amanda was at his side, sobbing silently, and him, Maybeck the Cool, felt a little bad for her. She and Finn had a special connection, and he knew seeing him in that condition must be scarring; Maybeck cared too, Whitman was one of his closest friends. "Hey, Amanda, I'm sure he'll be fine," he tried to assure her, not used to being the one who tried to comfort people, especially Amanda, whom he didn't hang out with a lot.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to calm down, joined by Philby, Willa, and Charlene as they pushed their way out of Soarin', keeping their heads down from the bright camera flashes. "I hope so," Amanda said shakily, "I just hated that the Overtakers took us by surprise again, we walked right into a trap."

"Dude, it was like walking into Maleficent's lair, wearing flannel pajamas and tinfoil," Jess snorted, shooting a deadly look at one tourist that tried to get a close-up. "I mean, Soarin' is a favorite for the Overtakers, Willa and I tried to warn you." Willa gave a reluctant nod, not wanting to anger anyone for her agreement with Jess.

Maybeck shielded his eyes from the brilliant Orlando sun, bright rainbows reflecting off of the giant golf ball in the distance. When he lifted his hand up, he realized something: his usual dreadlock bands weren't where they were supposed to be. He stopped, brushing at his dark hair, discovering that some of it was missing, singed and charred to the point where it was literally burned from his scalp. "Oh my God, the Overtakers have gone too far."

Jess took one look at his hair, and doubled over laughing, not even bothering to hide her gleefulness at Maybeck's new hair-do. "Dude, your hair is gone," she laughed, "I thought that accident was going to kill us all, but the only thing it killed was your hair." She muffled her last chuckle with a cough, following Amanda as they continued through Epcot, towards the park's infirmary.

Delilah blinked uncertainly, faced with the harsh light of the sun above her, turning her head slightly to keep herself from going temporarily blind. Finn was at her side, despite the fact they seemed to be moving, a feat that seemed, to her, impossible to accomplish. He was breathing now, a bit shallow if anything, but breathing, yet seemed to be unconscious. Her hand was still in a death grip with his, and she found that both of their knuckles were chalk white.

What had happened? Fazed by the sudden change of scenery and shouts of people, Delilah struggled to picture what had occurred before this point. A hang-glider…yes, Finn trying to escape a hang-glider, riding towards a large body of water, a cliff. She had the bruises to prove that, and her mind became doused in memory, remembering the others that had been on the ride with them. In the distance, she could see them-the British fellow with red hair, the tall African-American, the girl with braids.

Delilah shivered, despite the heat, her eyelids growing heavy…maybe if she fell asleep, yes, sleep, that would help her remember. It was so cold: her teeth chattered so hard, it felt like her skull was vibrating, her hands shook without Finn's in their grasp. Sleep. She closed her eyes in relief, hoping it would bring the tiniest spark of heat back.

The real Lucinda Queen beat against the spherical walls of the Epcot golf ball, trapped between a narrow passageway that was a pocket of space that divided the inside walls and the outside for Spaceship Earth. She didn't remember much of her kidnapping, only a flash of white and black in the darkness of an alleyway behind Norway, then waking up here. Being a well-respected Cast Member, and quite used to surprises from her fellow employees, Lucinda had followed the shape. She gave up, sinking to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest, wondering if she'd ever escape.

By the time Finn woke up, he and Delilah were within the white-washed walls of Epcot, located deep inside a "Only Cast Members Beyond This Point" area. Aside from a minor, dull ache in his forehead, he felt fine; he was more worried about what had happened on the Soarin' ride. The sound of telephones ringing, footsteps clacking against tile, and worried murmuring filled his ears. Finn sat up, tugging at the restraints that held him down on the gurney. "What the…?"

"Finn!" Amanda dove forward in a near-spastic embrace, that was anything but romantic, yet close enough to be sweet. "Oh, thank God you're awake!" she cried, nearly hysterically, attacking his neck with kisses, despite the fact her sister and Maybeck were standing a few feet away, exchanging looks of disgust.

"Missed you too," Finn mumbled, unable to hide his smile, trying to push Amanda's long hair from his face, to avoid spitting it out and ruin the moment. She giggled in a hiccupping, tearful way, and he tried to hold in the warmth that her body radiated, finding that he was shaking from the cold. "How can you stand the temperature in here? It's freezing!"

Amanda raised her eyebrows as they broke away, silently disagreeing, thinking it was actually rather warm in the wing. "On the contrary, it's a bit toasty in here…" A little worried now, Amanda gently pushed Finn back down on the gurney. "Maybe you should get a little more rest, just to make sure you're not going crazy."

He laughed wanly, settling back under the thin, generic sheet of a blanket, which probably wasn't doing much to help him stay warm. As his teeth chattered, Finn realized that Delilah was also shivering, her amber eyes large and glassy, darting nervously around the room. She acted as if something was hiding in the shadows, like it was about to jump out and attack them all. But, knowing Disney World, Finn knew that wasn't impossible.

The-Lucinda-Queen-who-wasn't-in-Spaceship-Earth walked briskly into the room, putting on a too wide smile, looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "Mister Whitman-" she cleared her throat as her voice rolled into a deeper, throatier tone, "and Miss DeAngelo, are hereby discharged from the infirmary." She undid their restraints, watching with hawk eyes as they slid from the gurneys. "We'll see you at the Autumn Party tonight."

Scrutinizing Lucinda, Finn rubbed at the restraint marks on his wrists, wondering what was weird about the Cast Member's strange, near-robotic movements and too-formal speech. "Hey, guys," he addressed the others, not prepared when everyone lunged forward in a spur of the moment, way too sappy, Hallmark affair group hug. "Whoa-I said 'hey guys' not 'group hug.'" Finn didn't admit that he was loving the warmth that his friends were radiating, wishing he could just soak it all up.

"Dude, don't ever freakin' scare us like that again," Maybeck laughed in a sullen way, pushing at Finn without really trying. Delilah attempted to grin like the others, but her eyes remained focused on something else, watching the doorway intently. She was gaining remnants of vision now; there was a silhouette between the accident and waking up, the eerie touch of something cold and green against her cheek. Someone had touched her locket.

They had also reached Finn.

Delilah swallowed as Charlene patted her back, trying to erase the look of fear that continued to cross her face. She wanted to "discuss" this with Finn in private, but considering the terrible accident on Soarin', she doubted he would want to separate from the others for a long time. She followed them out of the infirmary, back into Epcot, praying that this time, they wouldn't be in another accident.

**Short chapter, I'm sorry! I am so tired, and I have two tests tomorrow. *Grrr…* Well, what could have happened between Delilah, Finn, this strange Lucinda duplicate, the strange bouts of chills, and Maybeck's dreadlocks being burned off? (Point and laugh!) Well, wish me a happy birthday, and to leave a birthday present that won't cost anything, press that little review button!**


	5. Chapter 5: Celebration

Chapter 5:

Celebration

**Only one review? =( But, thanks Lisa for leaving such a nice review! All right, Finn and Delilah are now okay, but experiencing identical bouts of chills, and Delilah remembers being touched by something green. And now, for the Autumn Party, what on Earth could happen? I don't know, you'll just have to keep reading! *Evil laugh* All right, read, review, and enjoy!**

The five girls crowded in front of the bathroom mirror, all chattering with each other, never really sticking to one topic for very long-excluding Delilah, who seemed jumpy and shivered despite the heat. The Cast Members had allowed the girls and boys to get dressed for the Autumn Party in the bathrooms, so the girls were taking advantage of their spare time.

"So, you and Philby?" Charlene teased as she curled the last lock of Willa's dark hair, which-after much debate on both of their parts-had finally come out of braids for the occasion. A dull blush crept up Willa's neck, and she busied herself with applying the tiniest smudges of light blue eye shadow, that matched her modest, satin dress perfectly.

"It-it's nothing," Willa sputtered, in an obvious tone that revealed she wanted it to be _something. _Charlene giggled, and brushed her pearly blond hair down until it shone, her eyelashes long and thick with mascara. Unlike Willa, her dress was a little more daring; it was a short, carnation pink number, with thread-thin straps.

"What about you and Maybeck?" Amanda teased, pulling her long hair back into a knot in the back of her head, before smoothing down her ivory white dress, that was longer then Willa's, yet sleeveless like Charlene's. Jess, clad in a black cocktail dress that made her look sleek and mysterious, almost snorted from muffling her laughter, though there was something like envy in her eyes that quickly passed.

"Nothing! He just asked me because we were the only two left!" Charlene quickly argued, turning quite red in the face, stuffing her hairbrush into her backpack.

The bathroom door opened, and the boys, all in black tuxedos (the dress code for males at the party) with different colored shirts, walked in. Jess's boyfriend, Rob, smiled tightly at the Keepers, like he was trying to be nice, but didn't quite fit in with their crowd. Finn, nervously, linked arms with Amanda, wishing they could be closer, so close that he could just absorb her heat. Ever since the Soarin' accident, he had been cold; not just regular cold, but a chill that seemed to be inside of him, radiating from his chest outwards.

As Philby approached Willa, Charlene mouthed "you and Philby" to Willa, and she immediately turned bright red. He cleared his throat anxiously, like he didn't know what else to do, and slid his arm around her thin waist. Willa opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something, but didn't; instead, she smiled.

"You okay, Lila?" Maybeck asked, placing his hand on Delilah's shoulder. It took Delilah a moment to process who "Lila" was, until she realized it was a simple abbreviation of her name. She had been pacing the bathroom, trying to think of what could've reached Finn and her during the Soarin' accident, and had almost crashed into Maybeck. Delilah attempted a smile, but failed, instead retreating to the center of the large group.

"Oh, Rob, you haven't met Delilah yet," Jess continued, gently taking Delilah's arm and pulling her closer to Rob, "she's not a Kingdom Keeper, but we, you know, involve her with stuff. Oh, and she can't talk." Delilah gritted her teeth behind her pressed lips; for some reason, she hated when people made a point of saying this. Sure, she couldn't talk, but she could still communicate with others. She waved shyly, and Rob returned this action, still feeling out of place.

"Ahh, we're late!" came Finn's voice from within the mass of teenagers, and there was a clamor to get out of the bathrooms, all nine walking briskly through the evening air to join the Cast Members in France.

:::::

"There's the tent!" Willa called, pointing to the large, vinyl structure that looked more like a circus tent then the home of an Epcot party. In the background, a realistic replica of the Eiffel Tower stood against the magnificent colors of the sunset, reflecting the gorgeous plumes of pink and purple light.

Standing right outside was Lucinda Queen, the corners of her mouth immediately turning down when she saw the group coming her way. "The Keepers," Lucinda greeted in a falsely cheerful voice, "oh, and their little friends…Miss DeAngelo, I suppose? And this dashing young man?"

Rob turned an interesting shade of crimson, and Delilah squinted at Lucinda, not only because she had been assigned an unfamiliar surname, but her voice was so chilling. Different from the streak of green, yet it still possessed an icy stiffness, and Delilah detected traces of unnaturally pale skin beneath her thick collar. Something was definitely not right.

"Well, come on in," Lucinda welcomed in a not-so-friendly way, pulling back the flap of the tent, revealing a _very _formal sight. Waiters with black bowties disappeared and reappeared from the rear of the tent, emerging with dishes of appetizers. Cast Members had changed from their fantastic costumes to unnaturally bland suits and dress; the tables were covered with white tablecloths, glasses of wine placed at each seat.

"Dude." Maybeck looked around at the fancy set-up of the tent, immediately noticing that instead of just one knife or fork, there were three of each, not to mention two spoons. "I won't be able to figure out what kind of silverware I'm supposed to use. I'll starve to death." Jess cracked-up at his side, only stopped when Charlene shot her a look that said "you're embarrassing the fudge out of us."

"Hey guys!" A young man with sandy hair and wearing the least formal tuxedo ever tailored stepped up to them, shaking Finn's hand. "I'm Thomas Hildebrandt, one of the Cast Members, I'm kind of in charge of gatherings like this where we recognize some important people at Disney. You guys are definitely special, and we want to thank you for all of your hard work."

"Thanks," Finn replied, a little taken-aback by his sudden friendliness, especially compared to Lucinda Queen, who had peeled back the flaps of the tent to watch them. "We're glad to be here…" He trailed off when Thomas led them over to the end of the long table that reminded Finn of the cafeteria tables.

"All right guys, tonight might be a little long, but the girl in charge, Mandy, likes to keep things orthodox," Thomas started, pointing to where each Keeper should sit, arranging them by their escort pairings, and sticking Delilah on the other side of Finn. "We'll give out some awards, serve dinner, there will be a few speeches, and then you guys can go home."

A young woman with long black hair, bright blue eyes, and a teal dress walked over to Thomas, draping her arm over his shoulders. "I see you've been giving them the grand tour, Thomas," she laughed, "I'm Mandy, 'the girl in charge.'" Mandy leaned over the table, a serious expression now on her pretty face. "You haven't heard anything about the Overtakers yet, have you?"

Finn and Philby exchanged questioning looks, silently debating whether or not to answer her, since Wayne and Wanda wouldn't want them to give away information; but, Delilah nodded slightly at Finn. "Nothing yet, but we're still on the look-out," Philby reported, "after the Autumn Party, we're going to search for them."

Mandy nodded wearily, and she suddenly seemed older, more worked and exhausted beneath her gorgeous façade, pinning her elbows on the table. "I knew Wayne," she breathed, soft enough so that no one else could hear her, "I knew that he had a plan with the five of you-and Amanda and Jess. He's a brilliant man, but he didn't expect the Overtakers to be so aggressive."

"Are you saying Wayne didn't know about the Overtakers?" Maybeck jumped in, slamming his glass down on the table a little harder then necessary. "Are you saying that he didn't know what he was getting himself into with this whole DHI thing?"

"No, no, of course not!" Mandy quickly exclaimed, shaking her head and rubbing her temples. "Wayne wanted to keep you safe, and wanted to keep the Overtakers under control, but ended up spending a lot of time making sure all of you understood your roles at Disney World." Someone clinked a glass near the podium, and her eyes snapped open, glancing around nervously. "I've got to go-please stay safe tonight."

"We will," Willa promised, although she felt a bit uncertain after Mandy's warnings, and took a sip of water to steady herself. Their wine glasses had been replaced with water glasses, probably because Epcot didn't want to be responsible for nine drunk teenagers. Amanda and Jess shared concerned glances, but Jess continued to eat the crackers she had snagged from a waiter's tray.

As the evening wore on, they discovered that Thomas was right about it being long; people gave speeches that wore on forever, awards were accompanied by monotonous passages, even dinner plodded on with the naturally boring conversations of adults. Although Finn had to admit, the food was good, really good; a blend of pastas and spices that came from all around Epcot.

"Before this evening comes to an end," Mandy began, using a more cheerful tone as she started the final event of the celebration. Maybeck and Finn high-fived, Willa and Philby simultaneously sighed in relief, Charlene noticeably brightened, Amanda and Jess fist-bumped, but Delilah and Rob were silent. "I would like to recognize a special group of kids. They have dedicated their lives towards working at Disney as DHIs for the parks, and have truly gained a lot of positive reception, a large fan base, and opportunities that most of us only dream about. Walt would've loved all of you."

Mandy picked up a nearby wine glass, holding it up so that the dark purple liquid shimmered in the light, as if offering it up to someone. "Here's to Walt!" She was met with a chorus of "to Walt's!" from around the room, and the Keepers raised their water glasses to join in. "So now, I would like to recognize one of the most popular icons of the world, the Kingdom-"

All of a sudden, the entire tent was plunged into total darkness, the kind where you can't see your hand in front of your face, and screams of terror rose from the crowd. Glasses smashed to the ground, chairs turned over, but one sound lifted above the others, like a plume of smoke over an empty plain. Just hearing it made Philby grip the edge of the tablecloth, looking around frantically for the source, and he realized what it was.

Finn was screaming. Philby knew why he didn't recognize it at first; Finn rarely screamed, especially at such pitch of terror and pain. The second noise was the sound of someone pounding their fists against the table, and quick breaths, like they were sobbing silently. Willa toppled out of her chair, grabbing Philby's arm for support, and they reached out in the darkness. Her hand brushed something silky soft. Her breath caught in her throat.

A fur coat.

No one at the party had been wearing a fur coat.

"Guys!" Willa shrieked, still gripping the edge of Philby's tuxedo, hoping they could hear her through the deafening screams that came from all around the tent. "Someone's in here! It's Crue-"

Her voice cut off when something hard came in contact with her head, and the world went…light? A flash of unbearably bright light, then more dark.

:::::

Once the lights came on, Jess realized whose hand she had been gripping when they were plunged into darkness: Maybeck's. He didn't deny her touch, instead gently pulled her out of her seat, so they could search for the source of what had made the terrible shriek. Charlene was sitting on the floor, her back against a chair, knees pulled to her chest, rocking back on forth. Amanda was attempting to comfort her, but was little help to Charlene's absolute terror of the dark.

Philby supported Willa, who had fallen unconscious after he heard a sickening smack, like metal against bone, and pulled her into his arms, carrying her bridal-style. Her hair brushed against his arms, and for a second, he felt completely numb, like he was drugged or something. The feeling passed, as Philby squinted to readjust his eyes to the light.

Finn was gone.

That was it-Finn was gone, out of his chair, not in the tent, vanished, disappeared, whatever you want to call it, he was gone. He remembered that scream; just the memory of the heart-wrenching shriek caused chills to race down Philby's spine. Delilah's lips were parted in silent screams, her cheeks red and tears streaming down her face as she gripped the edge of Finn's chair.

"Whoa, Delilah, calm down. What happened?" Philby asked, trying to sound calm himself, but found it difficult to swallow the crack in his voice that hinted he was on the verge of tears. Delilah's hands were shaking too violently to reach for her notepad, so Philby handed her his own pen and a napkin.

_Taken by figure in white and black, _Delilah wrote, her shaky hand-writing nearly illegible, but Philby was able to decipher the sentence. He nervously shifted Willa in his arms, pulling her even closer to him, as if she were a rag doll he was holding onto for comfort. _He was pulled out of the chair, and I couldn't stop it. He was screaming._

Tears smudged the rest of her writing, and Delilah wished she could scream too, just shriek at the top of her lungs, just to let some of the burning anger and frustration out. But it was all locked up inside of her chest, right where her heart was beating, making it harder for it to throb. Delilah shivered again, and couldn't stop this time, shaking like there was an earthquake inside of her. Why was it so _cold?_

"What do we tell his mother?" Amanda asked quietly, as they stood around Delilah and Philby, who gently pressed his cheek against Willa's, processing everything that had just happened, coming up with a reasonable answer.

"He went home with Delilah, and is staying with Wayne. She doesn't know anything, no one else knows anything until we find him."

**Slow chapter until the end, I know, but it was exciting! *Does little dance* All right, I hope you guys will review, because I want to know if this story sucks or not, so I can either continue or send it to the banishment land of unfinished stories. =D!**


	6. Chapter 6: Paper Planes

Chapter 6:

Paper Plane

Finn, I think I need you.

Her feverish cheek pressed to the chilly paneling, the ill teenager could only yearn for the boy who was abducted so cruelly, the boy she had failed to rescue. He had been just beyond her reach, the shiver of fingertips against his wrist before he vanished, taking with him a priceless object of wonder. The brunette gingerly brushed the skin covering her collarbone, where a silver heart typically lay. Tonight though, it was in the hands of somebody in greater need of its power, but Delilah had no idea as to when Finn would realize this.

Tears spiraled down her pallid visage, pooling around her and soaking the ends of her chestnut curls. Her heart hammered incessantly in her chest, her entire body throbbing in unison. The pain…oh God, the pain. It burned inside of her like hellfire, igniting her bone marrow, her capillaries, all the hard to reach places, aflame. It had to be because of the flash of green, back at Soarin'…it had to be. This was all connected.

The bathroom door opened, releasing a sliver of light that forced her eyes shut. Wanda gasped at the sight of Delilah curled up on the floor, her cheeks flushed and her breaths rapid. "Lila? Honey, can you hear me?" The woman knelt down to examine her adoptive charge, whose only response was a slight twitch of the fingers. Delilah yearned to explain it, Finn's disappearance, the attack on Soarin', the flashes, the locket. But her hands were trembling far too violently to even touch a pencil, let alone write the day's events.

"Dad? Dad, call a doctor! No, wait, bad idea. Get the thermometer!" Wanda, having never dealt with an emergency of this degree, was losing her mind, quite literally. She scooped up the teenaged girl, a simple task considering she had yet to gain enough weight to be even remotely heavy, and dashed into the hallway. "Dad! Dad, get up!"

Typically, Wayne would have been at her side within seconds, maybe even before she knew she needed help. Tonight though, there was not a sound emitted from his bedroom. A pit of dread formed in Wanda's stomach. She slowly reached out and opened the door.

Wayne was gone.

"Oh my God… oh my _God," _the auburn-haired woman moaned, wondering how her world was falling apart so rapidly. "Oh my God." She drew Delilah closer to her chest, sprinting into the living room and glancing about wildly, as if expecting Wayne to reappear at any moment. "Delilah, honey, just-just stay here, don't move. I've got to… oh, God!"

Wanda began to pace, her hands trembling. Usually a cool head in tough situations, this was beyond her control. Wayne was missing. Delilah was sick. Finn was missing. And who knew where the Overtakers would strike next?

Delilah watched her caretaker with fevered eyes, falling deeper and deeper into lethargy. It would be absolutely fantastic to sleep, sleep and never wake up. If Finn found the locket, well, they might be able to hear his voice… Her illness had to be the result of the green flash. Had to. Everything was intertwined with it, a part of it. Her life was the flash.

The brunette leaned her head back and fell into oblivion.

:::::

Seven a.m.

Eyes swollen with sleep, Willa climbed the precarious ladder into consciousness, slowly becoming aware of her pillow, her bed, the daylight, soft as a dandelion, streaming through her window. It was then, however, she slowly became aware that none of these objects belonged to her.

The pillow was much too firm; the blankets were a patchwork of cobalt blue and navy, and the window, ordinarily overlooking the backyard, faced the house next door. A surge of adrenaline bulleted through her veins, and Willa pushed herself upright on an elbow, surveying her foreign environment. A computer, surrounded by a mass of cables, sat on a large, cluttered desk, sided by a dresser and a stand with a television and gaming system atop it. Posters of various soccer athletes and one of the Kingdom Keepers covered the walls. The bedroom of an average male teenager.

Willa was not so easily convinced. She seized the closest available weapon, a remote control, and leapt out of bed, shaking her dark curls away from her hooded eyes. Footsteps intoned steadily down the hallway and paused at the doorway of the scope. With a teeth-grinding screech, the door creaked open…

"What the- -?"

With an animalistic shout, Willa hurled the slim piece of machinery at her attacker; her aim was perfect, and it struck him square in the chest. "OW! Oh my sweet… bloody hell, Willa, what was that for?" The girl swallowed anxiously, because she was quite familiar with that British accent.

"Philby?"

"Yeah, sorry if I scared you." The redhead rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, fighting back tears as the new bruise on his sternum began to throb. Who taught her how to throw? "You, uh, weren't really fit to go home last night, so I, uh, called your parents and said that we had all met at Finn's house for a sleepover. And you stayed here. D-Don't worry! I slept on the floor! Ha, not in the… bed. Yeah."

He could adorably awkward at times. A blush tinged her wan cheeks, and she glanced down instinctively, ensuring her clothes were not revealing. Willa was still attired in the powder blue gown she had worn to the Autumn Party, albeit was in less decent condition than the previous night. "Don't worry, I didn't think you would actually… um, yeah. And your parents are all right with this?"

Just as Philby was about to respond to the query, all color drained from his visage like tepid water from a bathtub. He gulped and leaned into the corridor, ensuring there was nobody awake at this tender hour. His parents, famous for their supernatural ability to sleep through anything, were down for the count until nine o'clock. His seven-year-old brother, Tyson, was at his friend's house overnight. "Well, uh, we might have to sneak out and run for our lives, but, you know, it's normal."

"Wh-what exactly happened last night?" she inquired, raking a hand through her dark curls. They were frazzled into an untamable mass that she wasn't exactly pleased about Philby seeing. She had absolutely no memory of the previous evening, aside from a flash of black and white, and the greasy odor of cigarette smoke.

"Well, uh, we were at the Autumn Party, you know, drinking water and choosing the wrong forks, and the lights went out. Something, um, knocked you out and when the lights came back on, Finn was gone," Philby explained grimly, the rendering of the scene reinforcing the severity of their situation. With the Overtakers crossing over into lethal territory, they needed a leader. And their leader could have been tied to the tracks of Space Mountain for all he knew.

"Oh, my God… he's gone?" She sank to the edge of the mattress, placing her vaguely aching forehead in her hands. "Oh, God… who-who took him? And where did they go? We have to find them!" Realizing she was prepared to launch into a frenetic spiel, Philby gripped her shoulders, pressing his thumbs into the bones.

"Calm down, Willa. We don't know where they went, but we think it was Cruella Deville. And you know we'll find Finn. When have we not?" Willa forced a watery grin at that remark, even though icy fear had settled in her chest like a potentially malignant tumor. "Hey, I already showered, so it's all yours. I've got some jeans and stuff that might…" He trailed off, the humiliation surging from him like the waves of aroma from a freshly sliced lemon. "Um, yeah. Sorry."

"No, no, it's okay, really. Thanks for taking me home," Willa assured him, rising to her feet and stepping past him. Once she was out of earshot, Philby, quite literally, collapsed to the unmade bed, panting as if he had just completed a marathon in late July. Hosting a conversation with her essentially tied his muscles into terse knots and halted the intake of oxygen. Why? He had no clue.

Before he could further contemplate his fatal awkwardness, a cyan clock spring of illumination appeared on the pillow. Curiosity ignited, Philby crossed the length of the room and leaned down to skim the message banner pulsing in the corner. His visage instantly became the color of bleached flour and his wild eyes scanned it, mind unable to comprehend the words.

Willa, who had just been stepping out of her taffeta slip and silently cursing the frigid tiles beneath her bare feet, almost succumbed to a coronary as someone beat dementedly against the bathroom door. Clutching the edge of the porcelain basin, temporarily paralyzed by utter shock, the brunette reached out with a trembling hand. "It-it's… someone's in here!" she croaked, hoping a member of the Philby family wasn't waiting impatiently for her to finish up.

"Willa, it's me. We have a very, _very _serious problem. Slide your cell phone under the door, I need to call Charlene."

::::::

"Screw it. Screw it to hell."

The blonde, believing her companion's original remarks about their situation had been the consequence of the early time, instinctively drew away from the phone. "Jeez, Maybeck, I know it's bad, but… are you okay? I mean, I didn't think…" Charlene was unable to conclude the statement, each word feeling like a bullet shell leaving her mouth. She glanced up from the satiny blankets covering her lower half, smiling unconsciously at the motes of dust dancing through the lavender rays of daybreak.

"Sorry, Charlie. It just really pisses me off that all this has to happen to us. The Overtakers take Finn, of course, they know we're a mess without him, and then Wayne goes missing, great, that's just wonderful, and now Delilah's sick." The boy, hauling boxes of ceramics into the storeroom, leaned against the doorjamb, the dark precursor of a migraine throbbing behind his eyes. "And I can't help but think all this has to do with Delilah."

"Really? You think so, too?" Charlene asked, somewhat relieved that someone else had noted the connection between Wanda's adoptive charge and the recent catastrophe. She reached for the nightstand, gripping the handle of her opal hairbrush and running it through her golden tresses.

"You kidding? I don't think it's a coincidence, dude. It's like the Overtakers… they're attracted to her, or something. It's weird, seriously. I don't blame her or anything. Delilah's super sweet, I love the kid." Charlene almost speared herself in the neck with the cosmetic implement as Maybeck allowed the sentiment to slip. "Oh, can't forget, I'm still super peeved. You going to Wanda's apartment?"

"Yeah, it's only a few minutes from the coast," she answered, tossing the covers off her legs and leaping out of bed with a gymnast's precision. "You know she's gonna be a mess, right? There's, like, three people in the world that Wanda cares the most about, and they're all gone. Go easy on the comments, Terry."

Surprised by her own playful snippiness, Charlene hastily hung up before allowing Maybeck to retaliate with an equally sarcastic farewell. She shook off their discussion like a winter coat under the weak sunlight of spring and opened up her closet doors. It was a new day, a rainy day, and the indigo waves were crashing wildly against the beach. And in the privacy of her bedroom, Charlene pressed her forehead to the cool wall and released a mourning sob for Finn.

::::::

Wherever they were, it was quiet, somber, dark. She wandered, lost, amongst the writhing silhouettes splayed against the boundless walls, which seemed to stretch into oblivion. The secrets pulsated through her mind like a severe migraine, a sick throbbing that ricocheted throughout her entire body. She anxiously clutched at her breastbone, chastising herself for being so neurotic about the locket. It was okay… it was all okay.

Delilah had been here before. His fear, his _panic, _was palpable, despite the miles that separated them in the depressed surrealist's universe. Every sound was magnified, grating against her eardrums and further reinforcing the fact that, no matter how she exerted her vocal cords, they would not elicit a single syllable. Frustrated, she increased her pace, extending her arms so that her fingers shivered past the trees looming over her.

They were so far apart… yet could be reached so easily. Tears threatened to escape their lidded confines, but she brushed them away with a sigh, the only sound she could even remotely emit. Delilah crossed the winding paths, observing the horizon for any sign of her male companion. His voice, starting to deepen, but still sweet and humorous, reverberated through her mind like a broken record. _What do you mean, feel it in his voice? What do you mean what do you mean what do you WHAT DO YOU- -_

"Help…"

Her heart vaulted forward, and the girl sprinted towards the weak cry, in spite of her aching muscles. His aura, the cyan light, glimmered before her, providing the impression of him waiting, no, _suffering, _in the damp holding cell. Beads of moisture cascaded down her lightly freckled cheeks, and, this time, she allowed them to spatter the ground below her.

He had fallen to his knees, knuckles planted firmly into the stones and blood dotting his dress shirt. The black jacket had been removed, and his remaining clothes were torn beyond recognition. Aside from the physical matters, which were seemed so trivial, she recognized a certain hopelessness in his cerulean eyes. Her silver locket was open just inches away from him, reflecting a sliver of his wan, strained expression.

"Somebody… get me out of here."

::::::

Wanda, who had sent Philby an e-mail twenty-five minutes ago and was still trembling like a tuning fork, glimpsed at the handful of auburn curls that had come away in her fist. So worried she was pulling her own hair out. The phrase struck her as funny, then hysterical, and, eventually, the woman was doubled over with guffaws, a deep flush settling in her previously pallid cheeks.

"Help…"

Wanda glanced up from the worn carpet, wheezing as the last laughs escaped her throat and stole every atom of oxygen in her lungs. The teenager, who had fallen unconscious on the sofa, had abruptly propped herself upright, eyes wide as saucers. Her jaw worked around silent words like bubblegum, fingers clenching the arm of the furniture. "Wha-what? Did… did you just say something, Delilah?"

The brunette swallowed, her brow slick with cold sweat and cobalt veins lacing her temples. Wanda had the impression of her skull effortlessly tearing through a milky, strained layer of flesh. "Delilah, honey, did you speak to me? Honey? Please… just say something," she moaned, the dizzy sensation almost consuming her again. "Please…"

Delilah turned her head to her mother, gawping at her like she was a creature from Planet X. Frightened, Wanda clasped her hands around the girl's thin pair, only vaguely aware of the fanatic gleam that must have been shining in her eyes. "Delilah, I need to know… please… where is he? Where is he? Just tell me, tell me…" She was suddenly and hilariously aware of a novel she had read last year, a classic horror tale about a man who could learn a person's tragic history just through contact. "Please…"

"Somebody… get me out of here."

Wanda drew back in horror as a teenaged boy's voice escaped her sweet daughter's mouth; stars combusted on the edges of her vision field. She raked her fingers down her cheeks, transforming her face into one resembling a witch's mask. Something was possessing Delilah. And it bore a frightening semblance to Finn.

Yes… The girl's irises, typically an intriguing shade of amber, simmered and slowly, but surely, became the color of a summer sky. The few freckles she bore, which had begun to fade after she was shielded from the sun, were spreading out like a swarm of flies. Both hands went to her sternum, seeking something that could not be seen. Delilah, if that was who she was now, looked absolutely terrified, her arteries bulging from her thin neck like cables. Once again, the voice that was not Delilah's made a grand appearance in the living room.

"Someone has gotta get me out of here. I… hurt… and it's so bad. I wanna see Amanda, okay? One last time, for me?"

Wanda threw her head back and screamed.

**a/n: **Hey, guys. Because you begged and pleaded, I whipped this up in an hour. Mostly because of guilt, though. Yes, the story is taking a darker turn and the swearing is normal for any teenaged boy, in my opinion. If I'm inspired after this, I'll continue with this tale. I've got so much crap going on. Enjoy!


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